T
here was a time in history when human knew that they couldn’t any longer say we didn’t know and that was the time things started to change for the better. A time when all could safely and freely access drinkable water without facing the excess of plastic matter.
Tale of the Gods: “Gods are thirsty for better ideas”
On the island of the gods and goddesses, visited every year by more than 5 million tourist, and as many plastic water bottles used every month, filling up oceans, landfills and burnt into toxic fumes, a group of sustainable business owners, conscious travelers and change-makers brought forth the solution to tackle the issue of plastic litter. Together as a community, they launched RefillMyBottle.
As a result, smart businesses, cafes, yoga studios, museums, dive shops, and many more stopped selling disposable plastic bottles and instead offered their visitors to refill their own bottles for free or a minimum donation. Suddenly the whole community became active to protect the eco-system and the RefillMyBottle mapping application started to feature more and more RefillMyBottle refill stations. During the first years of operation, over 600 stations across Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and others have been listed on the RefillMyBottle map. It had become very simple for the public to refill their bottles or register their business as a new water refill station by using the app available in usual stores. This satisfied the eco-travelers’ need for sustainable tourism and the economy was flourishing again.
Who would have thought that such a simple thing as sipping water from one’s own refillable bottle would have become the most significant offering to the Indonesian gods, planet earth, and its beautiful blue oceans? Thanks to the creation of the bottle-refill stations and to the mapping of their location, both consumers and business owners lived healthy and happy ever after, in a luxurious and preserved environment freed from plastic litter.
Against plastic pollution, everyone became part of the solution!
In human history and in many cultures, storytelling was often used to impact people’s consciousness, spreading messages, teaching kids, transmitting social behavior’s rules, spreading the “codes”.
What if this naive story be true and really told to our children, grand-children and future generations, who actually are the most concerns with the rampant problems that mass tourism and water access create, threatening not only a whole Eco-system and health-balance, but consequently, a whole economy?
What if all together, drinkers of water, we make this tale become true? That is the challenge the members of BGreener decided to face in early 2017 creating Refill Bali which now became RefillMyBottle, spreading the idea amongst community and referencing more than 600 refill stations for free water up to date!
What if the very simple idea of no more buying a plastic bottle, become the most impactful action everyone can take every single day? The alternative reality to this is countless bottles ending up polluting lands and oceans, basically endangering Life itself, whether for humans, and for our animal friends, or ocean creatures.
Because think of it: when we buy a plastic bottle, what is it we really want: the content or the container ? Why buying a container each time whose price goes way beyond the tag?
Again what if the solution to tackle the plastic bottle pollution was simply to refill our personal refillable bottle as much as possible, as many times as possible? What if, as a business owner, a manager of a museum, a yoga studio, a diving center, or another type of venue, you would clearly become identified as a change-making organization in a world where consumers, clients, and tourist are becoming more demanding of Corporate Eco-Social Responsibility and of conscious business relationships?
This clear identification is made really easy with a simple sticker on the doorstep showing that you became part of this wonderful community of committed actors, ambassadors, and wateriors as the actors like to call themselves. When listed on the online map and application, a business is actually promoted and its activity level naturally benefits the status of the RefillStation. Because let’s think of it: which restaurant or cafe will a visitor choose: one who actively tries to change the game and offer free water refills or one who doesn’t?
This is real action on a daily basis, not only participating to this RefillMyBottle is an effective solution to tackle the issue, but also it is becoming clear and widely admitted amongst economists that being a change-making, sustainable and impactful business is key for success. Also becoming an ecologically pro-active consumer is key for happiness.
It is the very core idea of RefillMyBottle organization and program founded one year ago and it is spreading fast in Bali, neighbor islands and beyond; everyone can now support it, spread it furthermore and thus help reduce plastic pollution here in Bali and beyond.
Drinking and refusing to buy plastic bottles is a true political and ecological act, and it’s stimulating, impacting, and simply evidence. Of course, sometimes we have no choice but to buy a bottle and that’s okay, Rome wasn’t made in one day right?
They now have a very logical solution and highly practical online map, geo-localizing RefillStations (soon to be available on Google Play and Apple Store) to successfully change the course of events.
So whether you are a business or venue owner or manager, or one of the millions of tourists, or someone already living here, whether you know a place who could become a RefillMyBottle station, jump in: it’s time now, to be the change we want to see in our world.
